1. Field
The field of present invention relates generally to the field of custom portable gaming and entertainment environments. In particular, the present invention relates to a gaming and entertainment system that is configured with an audio output, high definition display, and a video gaming console and storage.
2. Related Art
The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Many people enjoy playing games on and otherwise utilizing gaming and entertainment consoles, such as Microsoft's Xbox®, Sony's Play Station 3®, Nintendo Wii®, and the like. Hereinafter, these and all related gaming and/or entertainment consoles are referred to as a “gaming console” or “game console.” As known, gaming consoles are configured to receive a game or entertainment source, typically an optical disc (e.g., a CD or DVD), Digital File Transfer, or Streamed Digital Content from another device, and allow the user to play and/or watch the game, movie or other entertainment material on the game console. Most game consoles are adapted to play specially configured games that take advantage of the visual and audio aspects of the particular game console. In addition, most game consoles are also configured to play standard movies, music and other entertainment materials that are available on CDs, DVDs, Blue Ray® discs, Digital Content, and the like.
The most commonly utilized game consoles are also configured to allow the user to connect to the Internet, a local area network (LAN), or wide area network (WAN) through a wired or wireless connection, directly or indirectly, so he or she may transmit and receive data, particularly gaming data, with other persons or websites. In one use, the person playing a game on his or her game console can communicate with others, whether located nearby or in a different country, to play games with or against.
Game consoles are typically sold as a unit that includes the console, one or more game playing devices (commonly referred to as “controllers”), and various wires and cables that are needed to operate the game console. Although required to utilize the game console and to play games on and/or watch movies therewith, game consoles are generally not sold with any video or audio playing devices. Instead, a person wanting to utilize the game console must connect it to a television, monitor, or other video device on which the game or movie will be displayed. This is also true for the audio portion of the game console; the person utilizing the game console must feed the audio signal through the video device, such as a television or monitor having speakers attached thereto, connect the game console to one or more external speakers (which is usually preferred by many persons who play games or watch movies), or utilize another audio device to hear the audio portion of the game or movie.
Although having to provide and connect the game console to separate video and audio devices in order to utilize the game console may be seen as a disadvantage to some, most people who utilize game consoles prefer such an arrangement so they can connect to video and audio devices of their own choosing, typically selecting the best quality of video and audio devices he or she can afford. One limitation that results from not having video and audio devices fixedly associated with the game console is that playing games or watching movies on the game console requires the user to connect to available and appropriately configured video and audio devices. This limits the portability of game consoles and sharply contrasts their use with laptop and similar portable computing devices, which have a fixedly attached monitor and speakers.
As well known in the art, many people who play games on game consoles are very serious and competitive with their game play. These people are commonly referred to as “garners.” With regard to gamers, although they can play games on the game consoles by themselves (i.e., competing against the game itself), most prefer to compete against other players while the other players are playing the same game. One way to compete against other players is to play the game over the Internet with other players at their own game consoles controlling their own game (but competing against the other player(s)). Another way to compete against other players is for the gamers to physically get together in the same room and utilize the same game console and the same video and audio devices connected to the jointly utilized multi-game console configuration. The advantage of playing games over the Internet or other network is that each player has his or her own video and audio devices.
Game consoles also support multiple player sessions with a single game console. To facilitate getting together for competitive play, virtually all game consoles have multiple connection ports for multiple controllers, which ports are configured to feed multiple input signals into the game, and the games playable on the game consoles are configured to allow information (e.g., object movement and other control) from each of the multiple controllers. Game consoles may also facilitate joint play by multiple players in the same room by dividing the visual display into multiple or split screens, one screen section for each person, that allows each person to see and control his or her own game play. Most gamers, however, consider the use of split screens to have several important limitations, namely a much smaller visual display of their play (because the screen is split) and the visual distraction which results from having the other player's screens adjacent their own screen. The smaller visual display generally makes it much more difficult for the player to see the graphics provided by the game, which are usually quite extensive and sophisticated (in fact, represent much of the value of the game console and games), and substantially reduces the player's enjoyment of the game.
Another problem with split screens is that they allow one player to see the screens of his or her competitors, thereby allowing each player to view the movements or other action in a manner that reduces competitive play by eliminating the element of surprise or advantage of personal strategy. The various limitations of presently available multiple player game play with split screens could be avoided if each person brought his or her own game console with their own video and audio devices (e.g., a television or monitor with speakers) to the location where the players are getting together to play. This would require each person to transport their television, monitor or other video device to the game location, connect their game console to the video device and setup the game console (i.e., connect the controller and cables).
Generally, however, such requirements are impractical and, as a result, very rarely do players get together in this manner. In fact, most serious gamers utilize video devices that are rather large, somewhat heavy and/or bulky and expensive, making their movement even more impractical. Even when sized such that they would be relatively easy to move, generally there is no practical manner to move the video device with the game console in a manner that reduces the likelihood of damaging the video device and/or game console.